My Sweet Traitor
by HourGlass8
Summary: When shadowy figures seem to claw their way out from hell, the shinobi lose the battle. The Akuma have no other purpose than to hunt the ninja. Never had a shinobi killed one of the demons... that was until Orochimaru accidentally becomes the first. Injured and left for dead after killing the Akuma, Kakashi and his team stumble on to the Sannin making him their valued prisoner.


Authors note: This is a story I decided to write because I had a few ideas and couldn't stop myself from starting it. I am working on a request fic, but I am hitting a bit of writers block regarding it. So Vampiredoll666 I'm sorry for not updating in such a long time but I have had such a bad time trying, I have not forgotten about your fic at all, and I am half way through the next chapter, but I didn't want to force inspiration and write you something not up to standard. I hope you don't mind.

Extended Summary: The Akuma are a new breed of demon like beasts. They kill anything they can and no matter how powerful the jutsu caster, no ninja has managed to kill one. They regenerate rapidly and seem to be immortal. That was until Orochimaru managed to accidentally kill one, in his success he is critically injured and his wounded form is found by Konoha ninja. They rescue him based on the mere fact that he is the first and only ninja to have ever killed one of the demons. Now stuck with the enemy the Sannin has decided to try to rather stay with them since it is safer to have allies in such a time. No one on the team thinks him more than a traitor, and so he tries his best to manipulate the one member who finds it hard to stay away from the captivating serpent… Kakashi.

 _"It was times like these when a man in a desperate situation must take whatever madness is offered to escape the darker madness in which he finds himself trapped."_

His heart was racing faster than he was as he barrelled through the forest trees, he had to outrun them for he could not outfight them. No one had, no one could. He had been a proud shinobi, he had thought himself invincible, but that was before he met one of them. The _Akuma_. That was the name spread across the lands, across the nations. No longer did ninja fight one another, they were already a dying minority after the Akuma took to the lands. No one knew where they came from nor where they surfaced, although it was an unwritten agreement that everyone assumed they were born in hell. Some ninja accepted the fate of the shinobi world, they had decided the gods had wanted them dead and that the Akuma worked to eliminate the last traces of the ninja race. However there were those who claimed the Akuma too evil to be the work of the gods, the Sannin was unsure of which bracket he fell in. All he knew was that he wanted to live. He didn't care if there were or weren't gods, he didn't want to find out either. He could hear the dauntingly fast creatures breath behind him. Not many managed to outrun them. They had soulless eyes, pure black bodies and gangly limbs. Tails fell behind them lifelessly and rounded spikes drew behind them in long forms. They stood on two legs greatly hunched over but when they ran they resumed their positions on all four feet. They barely had human like hands but it was far from animal like as they were more claw than bone.

They had the dullest red eyes but they managed to light up in the night in an almost pinkish glow. What was worse about the creatures was their inability to stand still, they never grew tired and they never gave a moment to rest. Even when they hunted or remained fixed to a spot they would shuffle around from foot to foot, or their predatory heads would shift uneasily. No one had seen them sleep, and so they came to the conclusion they never did. Orochimaru on the other hand found himself becoming increasingly tired, he did not stop his journey through the forest however, that would be suicide. The Akuma could be hurt, they made low pitched screeches when shinobi sent jutsu at them, but no injury no matter how devastating would kill the creature. What was worse was the injury slowly healed after a few moments. They would back off to heal but that would only be for mere seconds, and they were faster than a ninja could ever hope to be. The Sannin knew this as he ran.

 _"You're dead,"_

A panicked voice hissed at him inside the confines of his terrified mind. He was not easily frightened, he was a brave fighter and he had earned his title many times over. But when he saw the creatures from hell he lost all nerve. No one could kill them. Fighters stronger than him had tried, they had all failed. He too would be one of those unlucky ninja if he attempted battle.

As he approached a clearing he realized how truly dead he was. They were only unable to catch his panting form because he used his smaller size to dart around trees which slowed them down. They were only slightly bigger than the average man, but they were powerful, as powerful as many beasts that lurked in the forest. Shinobi were not the only things they killed, animals were becoming equally as scarce. He could not run along the edges of the trees, they would skirt the clearing and cut him off, still, the prospect of entering territory they owned scared him to death.

 _"Fuck,"_

He wasn't one for profanities, but he didn't even bother rectify his initial reaction, for he was undoubtedly about to be pounced on. He felt the air from his lungs being knocked from him as they hit the open grass. The dark skies were disturbed by his yelp as he smashed in to the ground. The moon was larger than usual and it lit up the field in a mystical way, however there was no beauty in it for the Sannin, as he stood, or more so lay, he was pinned beneath the writhing form of the predatory demon. Even when it bore down on top of him it moved insidiously, he had somehow propelled himself so that he was pinned on his back, he didn't like the ability to see the large teeth lowering themselves to his neck but he opted to rather attempt to see what his options were. He hissed and in a seemingly mocking way the creature hissed back. It was evidently unafraid when it issued the similar sound however. Golden eyes stared into pale red ones, so pale they had a blue tinge to them much like that of white hare.

Orochimaru froze when he saw the eyes, two more Akuma entered the clearing but they merely watched for one of them was already making the kill. Not all Akuma got along, but they were much like wolves in the manner that they hunted in packs. Packs fought one another, but pack members did not fight unless there was a scruff for dominance. The one crushing the snake summoner was by far the largest and so dominance was undisputed. Such a pity, often ninja were spared when a pack fight broke out, they could escape in the distraction. Orochimaru found he had no such luck. He was shaking under the beast but he could not think of anything to do.

 _"Do something- anything!"_

The voice of reason pleaded, it was his mind talking to his body. One was succumbing to fear the other doing its best to simply escape. He took a moment but then he snapped out of his mild panic, or at least he reacted off his fear in a desperate outburst in which he managed to come back to sense for a fleeting moment. He sent a sharp cutting gust of wind directly into the Akuma's face. It screeched and lunged away; as it wrestled with the pain of its face it shifted from foot to foot strangely. The other two Akuma watched their leader writhe and then looked over at the Sannin before screeching angrily and advancing. Naturally the leader had stopped its pained cries to look over at its pack members. It allowed them to finish the job.

Orochimaru had a different idea however, he summoned more wind to give himself a gap to get to his feet. The two Akuma circled him but he had analysed their fighting technique, he would not fall prey to their hunting strategy like a common deer might a wolf. As the Sannin avoided the beasts advances the leader Akuma joined once more. Orochimaru summoned fire and they moved away from the painful heat, after enough times of failing due to the flames they opted to brave the pain as it could not kill them. They moved straight through the heat and one wrong move had the Sannin on his back again, this time he had his sword drawn out and he used it to try and force the creature off him. He was not a physical fighter and the Akuma pressed down on the blade forcing it towards the handlers own stuck body. Orochimaru realized he would either be cut or have to unsummon Kusangi. If he did that there would be nothing between the wriggling Akuma and his flesh. He unsummoned the sword at the same time he called forth a giant snake. The brown serpent wrapped its body around the Akuma and the creature screeched at it. Thankfully the pack the Sannin ran in to was a weak one, and the Akuma atop Orochimaru was the weakest one yet. It could not move in the coiled snakes grasp meaning it could not dig in to its human prey. It inched down slowly as best it could but the summoned serpent constricted tighter to finally end its attempts.

Suddenly the Akuma trapped by the reptile started thrashing uncontrollably, its large claws were digging in to the Sannin's body. He cried out as the creature tore in to him in its attempts to break free, it looked enraged as its feet slipped through the male trapped under it. Blood splashed the lands around the Sannin and he struggled to move away as he felt more and more of his skin being torn. He could only imagine it was the same sensation as getting torn to shreds, or more so mauled, by something much larger. He whimpered as he realized he had no means of escape, he was too fatigued and he had no chakara to regenerate with. The moon shone down on him cruelly, as if illuminating his painful struggle. In the quiet night he did not doubt that any shinobi nearby could hear his tormented cries. The blood mingled between the grass and the silken black hair that fell still somewhat gracefully around the shaken male. His summoned serpent had nothing to do but hold on to the Akuma. If it released it the Sannin would be eaten alive, if it hung on he would be torn to shreds anyway. The summoning coiled tighter, feeling as if its own body may snap with the pressure it applied. The other two Akuma stood away from their ally, still pacing on the spot. It was unknown why they were not helping as they usually did. Then in a sickening moment the trapped Akuma went limp.

It did not issue a final screech, it merely stopped its struggles until its seemingly dead form went rigid with the cold over taking death. The summoning unwrapped its body and the large creature fell to the floor. Orochimaru was in too much pain to acknowledge what had happened, he tried to for it was in his nature to calculate a battle. It was dead? The first one to die. He had killed the very first Akuma. He did not know what he had done differently, his snake had restricted it, what form of death was that?

 _"Suffocation?"_ He thought.

Then he stopped thinking when he choked and blood was left as a residue on his hand. In the world of Akuma no longer did ninja stay in villages. It would attract the beasts as they roamed looking for their prey. A ninja was a sitting duck if they hid among too many. Instead ninja had diverted in to small groups that functioned as teams or squads. Orochimaru however, did not belong to a team. He was a rogue, when the terror hit the village of Sound disbanded and his men fled. No one waited for their Kage's order. That would be a death sentence and no one man could look out for so many successfully. Orochimaru tried to get up but he merely shook, he passed worried eyes at the other two Akuma but they dared not approach. He supposed if the ninja had never seen one die, neither had the Akuma themselves. Although they acted more like animals, they had an air of intelligence at times that passed through their soulless eyes. The two Akuma took flight.

As they thundered away the ground shook lightly and in his broken state he whimpered again, this time softer as he was out of breath. The moon gazed back at him, its faint glow getting more and more faded as his equally bright eyes started to close. He could still feel his wounds to a great degree, not even the tranquillity of unconsciousness spared him from the sensation. He muttered something nonsensical, he didn't know why he wished to speak. No one was around and all it would accomplish was attracting other predators which might not be smart enough to fear the corpse of an Akuma.

 _"Don't die,"_

He told himself in his own head. The words he said aloud had no meaning, however the ones he spoke to himself mentally said too many truths.

 _"I need to kill more of them, I am the first,"_

He could beg his bloodied form all he wanted, there was no making up for his grave injuries. He had no one to wish on, no one he wanted to find him. He had so many enemies from the past. It had only been a year since the Akuma arrived, and in that time he had not made up with any past allies. Even if he were found, he would have to pray a miracle for the shinobi to help him.

 _"Don't die,"_

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The screams were not something any ninja would want to approach, who ever had fallen prey to the predatory demons was in great pain. A desperate almost tragic cry, that which was only just distinguishable as human. Kakashi looked over at his team, they were a strong fighting force. He did his usual check to ensure all of them were where they should be mentally. If they weren't they could easily become the next victim. He also wanted to assess their reactions to the cries further away. Naruto shifted uneasily from foot to foot, he was desperate to see if they could aid whoever was in distress. Sakura was looking at Naruto worriedly, knowing full well he would throw himself in front of an Akuma to save someone. Jiraiya had his arms crossed over his broad chest as he looked around the area scanning it vividly to ensure they were not being watched by a pack. Shikaku was keeping his emotions to himself only looking dead ahead due to the natural curiosity evoked by the haunting screams. Ibiki had his usual stoned expression. Being a part of the torture unit meant he had seen many horrors and was most likely the least intimidated. Finally the yelps stopped.

"Should we check who died?" Shikaku asked.

"They might not be dead, we could help them," Naruto said. Jiraiya looked at his student with expectant eyes.

"After all this time you still think anyone can survive an attack?" The white haired sage asked, he sighed. Although he was the most experienced member of the team he did not take the leadership role.

The group had seemingly slotted in with Shikaku as the leader, as he had the most strategic mind of them all, that and he was fair. He would listen to everyone's opinions but ultimately he would make the right call. Kakashi looked over at the Nara, he would allow him to choose their next move. He had a fixed look on his face then he took a step forward.

"Let's investigate. If it is someone we know it will be the least we can do to allow them a proper burial," Shikaku said. The team followed him forwards, Naruto stuck behind the older male impatiently. He did not like to be forced to follow when the pace was not to his standard, but the Nara moved slowly on purpose, he wanted to ensure the Akuma that had killed the ninja they moved towards were not still present. Kakashi summoned one of his hounds, only one, too many could draw attention. It sniffed the trail that lead to the nearest hunting ground. He smelt blood and it was easy to locate what the team was looking for. They reached an open almost transcendent clearing as the moon radiated and enchanted the area. A light wind blew past but the first thing the entire team noticed was a large silhouette of a snake. It lifted its head but it did not act to attack or defend, it seemed stuck. A summoning no doubt, one Jiraiya recognised. He raced forwards without thinking. He almost missed the corpse of the Akuma which still lay down close to the Sannin stiffly.

"Careful!" Ibiki reprimanded. The team did not follow him, they waited to see if nothing rushed him for his fast and obvious movements. Nothing came and the plain was clear. They then approached the white haired Sannin cautiously, he was knelt down beside someone, the dog yipped softly and then was allowed to return to the safer world of summonings. Kakashi looked at the dead Akuma with horror and interest. No flesh wounds were on it, but it was dead and that was undisputable.

"It's dead," Shikaku breathed.

"He's dying, Sakura-chan help him," Jiraiya said, Ibiki looked over to see who was injured by the white haired male, he was more curious about which individual had succeeded in a feat no ninja had than he was worried for the dying. The teams eyes narrowed when they saw who it was, the black haired Sannin was shaking from either cold or pain, it was hard to make out his injuries beneath his tattered top, but his torso must have been shredded.

"Should have known the snake would find a way to kill one," Ibiki said, he had never liked the shinobi. Even when the Sannin was a child he thought him inhuman. Sakura took a step forwards, she wished to obey Jiraiya, but she did not exactly like the injured ninja. Furthermore she would await approval from her leader. Her green eyes moved to Shikaku.

"I wouldn't save him," Ibiki said. Shikaku wanted to hear everyone else's opinion, evidently struggling to come up with his own for once.

"Leave him to die," Naruto said, he hadn't seen Sasuke since their last battle and he blamed that on the man before him. Kakashi thought the words harsh, but he knew where they came from. He did not blame Orochimaru for Sasuke's departure, the Uchiha would have left with or without the Sannin's influence. He was destined to seek out power for his idea of revenge. He was no fan of the serpent, but he held no true vendetta against him. He tried to keep his opinion fair.

"He killed one of them! At least help him so we can get information on how he did it," Jiraiya said, he would say anything to get them to save the other male.

"He is a threat," Ibiki finalized.

"Not like that he isn't," Kakashi said. "In that state he will be unable to fight for days. We could get invaluable information from him, and he would have no room to deny us such intel."

"Stabilise him," Shikaku said after a moment's pause, Naruto moved away, he wouldn't stop it but he wanted no part in the males aid. He then met eyes with the summoned serpent, it looked between the shinobi hopefully. Regardless of the Sannin's crimes the snake summoning was loyal, it wanted to see the ninja help the fallen legend. It hissed when Ibiki approached, it could sense he had no good intent near its summoner. Naruto was no longer allowed near him either, Shikaku was only just passing the test where Kakashi, Jiraiya and Sakura were welcome to advance.

There was a sound of shuffling in the bushes, it had all the ninja go cold with fear. It may have just been the wind so the pink haired girl continued to heal him. She could not even guarantee his survival. After a few minutes she stood up blood coating her hands and clothes.

"I've healed internal injuries as best I can, and I've stopped external mass bleeding. That won't last for long and as it stands he has lost a lot of blood already," Sakura said, she did not hold back her talents despite her lack of care. She acted as any allied ninja might. "We need to take him back to our hideout and tend to him properly. Survival is unlikely, but I can do my best when we get him under shelter."

It was well known that Akuma smelt blood, they had a keen sense for the substance and they would be attracted to the scent if they were close enough. Their radius of smelling blood was scarily wide, and the ninja knew well that Akuma would arrive at the scene shortly. The team had found a way to hide the scent of blood, as cuts and small wounds would otherwise render a ninja dead. Jiraiya took a small vile out, it looked much like water and it had no taste or smell. It had a very important duty however, if splashed on an area the scent of the blood would be disguised. They had taken to calling the liquid Miken, as its job was to keep the ninja hidden.

Jiraiya looked at the summoning and it stared back at him, the snake probably recognised the man, but since most reptiles looked the same to the human he did not unfortunately recognise it in the same way. The white haired Sannin then picked his past time team mate up, long black hair tainted by the shades of red blood hung down elegantly. Orochimaru was still shaking despite the fact that his most immediate fatal wounds were seen to. Ibiki had been speaking to Shikaku, he looked over at Jiraiya, the second largest man in the group next to Ibiki himself.

"Hand the devil over to Kakashi and help me move this thing back, we can perform an autopsy," Ibiki said referring to the corpse of the Akuma. The copy ninja didn't get a choice as the Sannin was handed to him. He tried his best to hold the injured male in a way that would prevent further discomfort but his whimpers never died in spite of his best attempts. The pale ninja was shockingly light, the copy ninja had never been close to him before to truly see him for what he was. He found himself momentarily mesmerized, he couldn't help but admit that even in his weakest hour he looked rather beautiful. In fact, it was because he was not facing the Sannin as a threat that he could acknowledge his appearance. His eyes flittered in their closed state as he was still evidently in great pain.

"Wow Kakashi-Sensei, not the time…" Naruto mumbled coming up beside the Jonin. Kakashi almost went rigid. Trust the blond to notice and read him. Playing it off didn't even seem to really work out for him as Sakura flashed him a playful stare.

"I don't know what you two are getting at," Kakashi lied, using his battle smarts to keep his composure. Sakura giggled and moved away, for her own teachers sake she acted as if she believed him. Naruto came closer to the white haired Jonin and looked between him and the Sannin, he wasn't convinced.

"Whatever you say Sensei," He mumbled again flashing dubious eyes at him. Jiraiya and Ibiki had managed to lift the heavy creature, even though it was only slightly bigger than they were it was dead weight, and the creatures weighed more than humans did as it was. The summoned serpent turned to smoke, it had foreseen its duty and the rest was now left up to the ninja. It assumed its summoner would call for it again if it needed. The sound of bushes moving out the way of something passing through once again put the ninja on edge. They kept moving, if it was an Akuma it would go straight to the clearing where the smell of blood was still present on the grassy field. The injured member had been disguised with the Miken and so he was safe from their scent. They were grateful they were not far from their hideout and the hidden entrance soon revealed itself due to their aware eyes. They scanned to ensure nothing saw them enter and soon they were hidden away.

Kakashi didn't know where he was supposed to put the injured Sannin, and for some reason, he felt as if he needed to hold on to the fragile being put in his care. As the team established what they were doing with the corpse Sakura approached Kakashi to inform him where she required he place the porcelain skinned ninja. As it turned out they were one bed short as they had few resources and had not expected a new arrival. The copy ninja without thinking offered his bed for the time being. He took as much care as he could muster and lowered the still form on to his bed. Orochimaru murmured something but it was not clear enough to understand nor loud enough to properly hear. Sakura undid her makeshift bandages and started properly working on the wounds with an easier view of what the damage truly was.

"He got absolutely mauled," Sakura said displeased with what she was expected to fix. She worked studiously while the copy ninja idly watched. He could have let curiosity pull him back to the corpse, they had never managed to get such a good look of the creatures as they never stood still and generally shinobi ran from them rather than stare. Regardless of that tugging interest he found he could not break away from the medic and her patient.

"Will you be able to stabilize him?" Kakashi asked.

"Yes, well I hope. I can mend the wounds, but in all honesty he was left injured for a lot longer than he should have been. His body may have grown tired of fighting and may in turn shut down regardless. If that is the case no healing can help him," Sakura admitted.

"He doesn't like to roll over. I'm sure if all he needs is a fighting spirit he is well on his way to healing," Jiraiya said coming over, he looked at his unconscious team mate.

"What will we do when he wakes up?" Kakashi asked.

"Interrogate him of course," Ibiki said from across the room haven heard the conversation. "We need to know how he killed this thing. Knowing him it was poison of some kind."

"That's not the first thing we do," Jiraiya argued. "Firstly he'll be in a lot of pain and secondly just because he is awake doesn't mean he is now safe from relapsing. We'll need him to recover and then we can ask him questions."

"Nonsense," Ibiki said. "There is no better time to question him than when he is weakened. He'll feel threatened and vulnerable, that's the only frame of mind he will be willing to comply."

"Everyone wants these things dead," Jiraiya said. "He will answer us. And besides, I know him, he hates owing people. We saved him, he will feel compelled anyway."

"You used to know him Jiraiya. That was a long time ago," Ibiki said. Naruto glanced between his mentor and the renowned torture unit federal. He knew why Jiraiya was fighting, if Sasuke lay hospitalized he would have done the same. Forgiveness was so forth coming, so on the surface of being thrown at their old best friends. They would do anything to get back what they lost, what they let go.

"We shouldn't forget our Konoha morals just because we have fallen on hard times," Naruto stated, more seriousness in his voice than everyone was accustomed to, "If anything, we should remember them now more than ever. It is what we swore when we took our headbands. Let him recover enough to have a clear head."

Sakura took a moment to glance at her blond friend but then resumed her work almost instantly, she needed to see to it that the bleeding did no continue, if it did he would never wake up at all. It took an hour to tend to all his damages. As it stood, besides the giant gashes across his chest and stomach, he had only received fractured ribs and a broken arm. He had internal damage but she had seen to that first and secured it. She wiped sweat from her brow and stood up.

"He should be fine. That's all we can do for him," Sakura said. "His chakara levels are completely depleted. It'll make healing harder for him, but if he doesn't allow himself to shut down he will make a full recovery."

"All right. Should I'll keep an eye on him," Kakashi said, he could see the pink haired girl wanted to examine the corpse. He too wanted to give it a look but resumed his role of watching the male. Ibiki approached them and took out a handcuff. Sakura left the area to join Shikaku and Naruto. The copy ninja watched the man snap the handcuff on to the Sannin and then secure the other side on to the bed.

"If he wakes up who knows what he is capable of," Ibiki said.

"I'm watching him," Kakashi reassured him. "If he wakes up I will let everyone know."

Ibiki did not seem to trust Kakashi's word, he clearly only trusted the chain physically holding the ninja bed bound. The copy ninja shook his head when he left, if the Sannin could manage to walk with such injury he would certainly not be hindered by a mere chain.

Now that he was alone he took the time to once again be slightly captivated by the monster of his nation. Such rumours were spread about how fearsome he was, the copy ninja could not help but feel he looked much less menacing when he was bed bound and asleep. After all he could not issue any cutting threats, nor boast about his potent jutsu and how easily he could kill the other. His eyes fluttered in their pained closed state, he wasn't comfortable that was written honestly on his features. Kakashi fixed the pillow beneath his head.

"Here," Jiraiya said, the copy ninja hadn't seen where the man had walked off to. He was handed a small needle and a box of tablets. "The injection is more powerful anaesthetic, the pills more so if he wakes up and can take them."

"Thanks," Kakashi said. He felt odd saying it when he recounted his own statement. Why was he grateful? He had been given a job not a gift. He supposed being overly courteous was better than the alternative. Also he found there was something he appreciated about the others care. He didn't know why, he almost killed his thought process just to avoid dwelling on it further. The white haired sage left him once again as he was summoned by Shikaku. An hour passed and Kakashi remained loyally beside the Sannin.

He played around with the box of pills reading the back a million times over as he truly had nothing much to do. The person he was on watch over rather unable to move. He wondered if he was watching the Sannin for the snakes own safety, to ensure nothing went wrong during his healing process, or if he was watching him to ensure that when he woke up he could do nothing dangerous. Ibiki most likely assumed it was for the latter, while Jiraiya might have assumed it was for his team mates safety. Kakashi didn't know which one himself. Suddenly the slim built ninja tried to sit up, it was either pain or the chain that forced him back down. He yelped softly. Blurry golden eyes tried to make sense of the new environment but evidently could not. He shouldn't have awoken so soon after healing, a fighting spirit was not a strong enough term for the tenaciousness of the serpent.

"Who -are you-?" he stammered out his voice almost inaudible, it may have been slightly hoarse from his tortured screams prior to his rescue.

"Sit down you're safe-" Kakashi said.

"I can't sit-" Orochimaru said in his slightly delirious voice, as if that was a point worth bringing up and not one that was plainly obvious. Then it occurred to the copy ninja that he was in fact rather unstable mentally due to pain. He whimpered as if he were hurt between his attempts to speak.

"Then lay down, don't move," Kakashi said gently trying to give him the anaesthetic, the Sannin put up a pitiful struggle.

"No, I can still fight," He said as if the other had issued a threat. He then realized he probably had in his mad mind.

"I'm helping you, calm down," Kakashi tried, he didn't need any help delivering the needle. The Sannin looked between the object and the handler with some sort of disbelief.

"That's rude," he mumbled more to himself than the copy ninja. The latter of which chuckled.

"Sorry," he said.

"No you're not," Orochimaru said steadfast in his belief that the other was indeed unapologetic.

"This will help you," Kakashi said wondering why he was bothering explain himself to the delirious male. Golden eyes once again moved between the needle that slipped out his arm and the man doing the apparent impolite motion. He saw the thin trickle of blood run down from the needle mark.

"I don't really want your help anymore," Orochimaru said almost politely in his weak voice. "You can go away now."

Kakashi couldn't help but grin beneath his mask, how the Sannin would regret his pained nonsensical responses come the morning.

"You sure? I'll go if you want me to," he said, playing along to get more of a reaction. He had nothing better to do after all.

"I do," Orochimaru confirmed. The copy ninja wanted to get disinfectant for the needle wound, he got up to get it. The Sannin suddenly looked like he regretted what he had said. "Where are you going?"

"Away," Kakashi said, he knew he'd come back but he decided to see his uncontrolled and untainted response.

"Oh," Orochimaru said his golden eyes still watching the man. "You don't have to go."

"Are you saying you'd like me to stay?" Kakashi asked as he was a few steps away from the bed, he needed to round the corner of the room to fetch the disinfectant, but he waited for his answer.

"I can't use my arm," Orochimaru concluded his next point.

"It's broken," Kakashi informed him.

"Oh lord, I need to get it fixed," Orochimaru said not quite able to understand what the word broken meant in the context of limbs. He supposed he was now slightly unhinged by the drugs used to kill the pain. He was seemingly passive when drugged the copy ninja noted.

"I'm coming back in a moment," Kakashi said.

Orochimaru let him go wordlessly. The copy ninja messed around Sakura's small medic stand looking for what he had come for. Jiraiya approached him once he caught sight that the man was no longer beside the Sannin.

"Is he all right?" Jiraiya asked.

"He is awake," Kakashi informed him as he looked for the disinfectant. The white haired sage quickly entered the room. He was met by slightly shocked and startled bright eyes.

"What happened?" Orochimaru asked sounding sympathetic and horrified at the same time.

"It was an Akuma attack," Jiraiya said, missing the actual question as he did not understand the drugged males confusion.

"Right now? Is there one here?" Orochimaru asked sounding more confused and intrigued than worried. "And it did that? How did it make you grow?"

"What?" Jiraiya asked, Kakashi entered the room. His presence seemed to shock the black haired male even more. He wasn't in a good mind frame, he had seen white hair leave and white hair return. He had somehow blurred the two people in his mind. His questioning eyes were waiting for an answer. He had thought Jiraiya was Kakashi, and now he was unsure of who was who and how there could possibly be two them.

"I don't want to know anymore," Orochimaru said seemingly disturbed. "I take it back you can go."

"What did you say to him?" Jiraiya asked.

"He is drugged," Kakashi said, it clarified the responses more. He saw the world differently when he was under the influence of strong medication. Jiraiya watched from afar, as every time he tried to get closer the other Sannin would voice his discomfort of the proximity. It seemed that in his state he had chosen one person to be near to and that was the way he wanted it. Still demanding as ever even injured and defenceless.

"How long ago, shouldn't he be falling asleep," Jiraiya asked.

"Give him a few a minutes I just gave it to him," Kakashi said as he placed the disinfectant on to the small trickle of blood. The white haired sage watched the other Sannin's mildly disorientated form edge away from the substance.

"Stop doing that," he said.

"I have to," Kakashi said glancing down at the once again offended party.

"I don't want to go to sleep," Orochimaru said tiredly, he was fighting the drug's effects unsuccessfully.

"You'll feel better if you do," Kakashi said.

"You can take my bed if you want," Jiraiya said to the copy ninja. "For while he is occupying yours."

Kakashi didn't feel it right, after all the Toad Sannin was of a higher status than he was. Besides that he had been forced to sleep in worse places. It was about time they all rested he noted as everyone entered their rooms, they each had separate areas to reside in. The hideout was an old rogues base. They did not know which rogue but they knew a group of missing-nin had resided there at a time. There were ten rooms in total minus the main walk in area. However they were unfurnished and baron. The team had only managed to get a hold of the bare essentials and spare beds was not one on the list.

"That won't be necessary. I'll keep watch though the night. You should go rest," Kakashi said. The sage nodded and took two steps backwards sparing one last glance at his long lost friend. He hadn't expected it to be such a fate that would return the male to him. Either way, he hoped things would change after the Akuma reign. He doubted it, doubted he would ever be able to change the Sannin, but he could hope.

"Goodnight," Jiraiya said as he disappeared out the room. The svelte male beside the copy ninja had finally been subdued by the chemicals he had received. He started to shake from the cold once again, sometimes drugs made their victims colder, and the sensitive male appeared greatly affected by this. He was unable to stop his violent shivering. He looked awfully vulnerable for a legend. Kakashi pulled the blanket over him properly, a gust of wind could be felt passing through the den. It wasn't a very practical place for an injured shinobi.

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Orochimaru woke up feeling as if he was encased by a thin layer of ice, he could feel his body shaking slightly numb to the pain he felt. Still, although the pain was only just surfacing he could easily identify what part of him was weakened and wounded. He tried to move in an effort to properly see the room he was in. The dim flickering of candles put him at ease as it reminded him of all the bases he resided in during most of his life as rogue.

"Hey, it's fine, you're fine," A voice said, an unfamiliar sound. The words were meant to reassure him into settling down, but since the voice was foreign and he was in a blurry eyed state he could not actually take in what the words meant. All he knew was there was a stranger near his damaged body. He continued his struggles to get to his feet but found he felt far too heavy for his own faded determination. The small whimper that escaped his lips was not commanded by him, he ended up stuck where he was despite his best attempts.

"Stay like that," The voice said. Orochimaru couldn't think of anything he wanted less. He tried to sit up again but stopped when he felt a very real stinging pain in his arm and upper body. He winced and wailed meekly.

"I think we need to give you more pain killer," The voice muttered worriedly.

 _Orochimaru closed his eyes, when he awoke again the room had changed, in fact, he was no longer in a room at all. He was sitting on the floor, the night sky was starless and the moon was faded out. What was most notable was the cold, he tried to get up but found he was too heavy to do so. He tried again but despite him commanding his muscles to move they did not. He tried to curse but no sound came from his mouth, he heard the sound of voices approaching him so he looked in their direction. He wondered if he should call for help, he decided not to, they would probably kill him, or if he stumbled upon true savages they could very well do worse. People had grown more sadistic and violent in the Akuma reign. It was a war with no sides to stand on. He decided he would try and get away from the approaching voices, the approaching people speaking made deep sounds, three distinguishable ones. The Sannin tried to get up, he felt like his arm was no longer a part of him, almost as if it had come off completely. He looked at it to ensure he still even had an arm, it took him a while to focus enough to establish it was there. Despite being able to see it, the limb felt air like, detached and useless to him. He used his other arm, it felt held down, it wouldn't obey him despite being very much capable. Three large figures appeared in the distance, he froze. He could not get up, he could not run, he could not summon anything. They reached him and one of the men held him down to the grassy plain he sat on. He struggled but he could not break free of the mans crushing force. He hissed at the person, he could not make out their appearances, they were almost silhouettes even up close with glowing red eyes. The size of men large in muscle capacity._

"I told you to wake me up if he did," Ibiki said annoyed.

"He isn't awake he is just stirring. The drugs won't let him properly wake up yet," Kakashi said.

"Leave him, we already established we aren't interrogating him until he is in the right mind frame. Pass me the syringe please," Jiraiya said holding the smaller Sannin down as he struggled against him. His golden eyes flittered open and then shut again. He made a small sound of protest. Kakashi brought over the syringe with more medicine inside it, he wasn't supposed to have more, he may grow immune to the only thing stopping him from eternal pain. However they were forced to administer more as he was persistent in getting up, and the numbed torture of his injuries was evidently too much for him to handle. Jiraiya held his old team mate down with some difficulty, although the black haired male was weaker both from wounds and due to size, he had become frantically determined to break free. The serpent hissed in frustration even in his subdued state, the larger man looked down at him with concern. The copy ninja waited for Jiraiya to take it as he had said he would but noticed that he needed both arms to hold the desperate ninja down. Kakashi placed the needle by Orochimaru's arm to inject the medicine but as it pierced the skin the pinned shinobi summoned serpents in his unconscious state.

 _The man tried to detain him as best he could but finally the Sannin's trapped body woke up and started to obey his wishes. He fought with the man but he was too powerful to throw off as he had wanted to. He fought with him, dislodging the harsh grip only for the man to somehow get hold of him again. There were only two men in the clearing now, the third had vanished. Orochimaru felt a pain in his arm as the second man came up. It felt as if he had run something through it. It was a small pain, but the more he moved the more it hurt. He didn't like the sensation nor not knowing what was causing it. He summoned serpents to chase the men off. The man who had caused the sudden pain had moved away in a ghost like manner and the man on top quickly moved off him. Despite being free of his hold once again his one hand weighed him down. He felt awfully cold again and the gripping pain of it made him draw in to himself slightly. He then saw the men approach again, they came with more force this time. It frightened him, he needed to get away. He used all his panic to propel himself upwards, it felt like he had dislocated his weighed down wrist and then the feeling of falling startled him. His stomach dropped as he did not anticipate the sensation of dropping._

Orochimaru had commanded his serpents poorly, he had been too disorientated to know where to make them strike. Thankfully they did not bite in to the two white haired ninja but missed and then fell to the floor where they unsummoned themselves. They did not question their summoners orders, even when they were poorly made. The bed bound Sannin had not allowed Kakashi to inject the drug he had needed to. He had pulled free, meaning only some of the dosage had entered his system. It would be rendered useless if he did not get to put all of it in. Once again the area where the copy ninja had tried to deliver the shot was now trickling with blood. Because the Sannin had pulled away he had torn his own skin as the needle had been pulled out at the wrong angle.

"Damn it," Jiraiya said as his friend suddenly found the strength to attempt to sit up. He delivered enough force in his distressed attempt to flip the bed he was on, the sound of the metal crashing must have startled every ninja in the den. Jiraiya immediately tried to help the injured shinobi who was now sitting on the floor using his very much broken arm to keep himself seated. He cried out as he hit the ground and the chain holding him to the bed twisted his undamaged arm in an unnatural way. Ibiki raced back in to the room angrily.

"Did he attack you?" he demanded.

"No, now free him, he is breaking his other arm like that," Jiraiya snapped back. Shikaku, Naruto and Sakura all entered the room and Sakura rushed to aid her patient who she grimaced at the sight of his old injuries now being strained. Kakashi held her back, he was acting unpredictably. They should have known he was unaccustomed to being helped.

Ibiki unchained him but then roughly grabbed his newly hurt wrist to pull him away from the two youngest members of the team.

"Careful!" Jiraiya said angrily. The Sannin fought against the man holding him, but he could barely remember how to command his legs to stay standing and he stumbled backwards until he fell in to Kakashi. The copy ninja caught him gently and to ensure he did not strain himself further he picked him up the same way he had earlier that night. The Sannin was shaking, most likely from cold and trauma combined. Ibiki came over thinking he needed to assist the copy ninja but Kakashi ordered him to stop.

"Stay there I'm fine," he said.  
"We'll need to put him somewhere more secure," Shikaku acknowledged.

"What happened there?" Ibiki asked, the copy ninja glanced down at his arm. Two needle like marks were at the surface of his exposed skin. They were undeniably the bite marks of snakes, he hadn't felt their needle like fangs, but clearly one of the summonings had managed to land a shot after all. "Did he summon something?"

"He doesn't know where he is, he is going to be unpredictable," Kakashi admitted.

"We are risking so much for a rogue, a traitor," Ibiki snapped.

"Like Shikaku said, we will find a more secure place for him while he isn't able to make rational decisions," Jiraiya said, Ibiki was about to argue when the sage continued in agitation. "he is drugged Ibiki. He doesn't know where he is or why he is pinned to a bed. He probably can't even acknowledge who any of us are. If he wakes up properly and still remains this way then you can give us your pitch on how risky he is."

Kakashi found the Sannin was settling down in his hold, he was still ridiculously light he mused. His long black hair covered some of his unsettled face and fell down the sides of the copy ninjas arms, he took the hand closest to the Sannin and brushed the strands away so it would not inhibit his breathing. There was a moment of silence.

"This was an old rogue den," Shikaku finally said. "We'll throw a few blankets on the floor and handcuff him to one of the cages. I think we have two."

It didn't sound like a pleasant place to heal, but the copy ninja didn't want to look strange with being overly concerned for a ninja he was supposed to consider an enemy. Jiraiya didn't care as long as he was certain Ibiki had lost his vote in killing the other Sannin. While Jiraiya and Shikaku sorted out their captured rogues healing arrangement, Sakura came to Kakashi to help heal and patch up her patient for the second time. She looked slightly tired, she hadn't gotten the hours she had needed. Naruto paced around aimlessly but refused to leave until Sakura did, Ibiki stood watch, he wasn't satisfied allowing a snake in to their den.

"He isn't going anywhere like this," Kakashi said to the man as he sat down on one knee holding the Sannin to his chest while Sakura worked.

"That's what you said last time," Ibiki said trying to do something useful by picking up the bed that had been over thrown in the Sannin's wake. Much to Kakashi's relief that was the end of their discussion as Shikaku called to Ibiki needing help securing the cage they had chosen. The night had been an unsettling one, it was only a mere glimpse at what they could be expecting.

Authors note: Hope you enjoy the story! And to make sure there is no confusion, The italics in this chapter were Orochimaru's thoughts, after that the italicized paragraphs were Orochimaru's "dreams" or hallucinations. Also the Miken means hidden in Japanese, and Akuma means evil/demon. Hope everyone has a great week further! And for those who don't know who Ibiki is, he is in Naruto/Shippuden, and he takes in all the prisoners of Konoha to interrogate them (or torture if need be). The man with two scars running down his face and a hat covering his head wounds. But enough rambling~


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